The Historical Saga Book 1 - Dragon
by AvatarRokusGhost
Summary: "Ooh! I just read a historical saga where the heroine fell in love with the enemy general's son, who's supposed to marry the princess. You should do what she did!" "Tell me!" "She rode a dragon into battle and burned down the entire country. Then she jumped into a volcano. It was so romantic!"
1. Earliest of Lessons

_Water._

_Earth._

_Fire._

_Air._

_When I was little, my mother would tell me stories about the old days, a time of peace and balance between the four elemental nations of the world. After early man first learned of the art of bending from wise and ancient spirits, humans began to draw power from the original bending sources._

_The Air Nomads drew their power from the sky bison. Little is remembered now about them, but it is known that they were free-spirited creatures who shared a love of the simpler sides of life with the people they served, and like the Air Nomads, they kept to themselves._

_The Water Tribes drew their power from the Moon and Ocean Spirits. According to Water Tribe lore, the first waterbenders learned their art by watching the moon push and pull the tides; and now the Moon and Ocean Spirits eternally watch over the two great tribes. That is also why waterbenders are stronger at night._

_The Earth Kingdom drew their power from the badgermoles. When I was still learning earthbending, I insisted on seeking out the badgermoles. As much as Sifu Brawki taught me, nothing could replace going to the source itself. I had to journey deep underground to find them, but the results were worth it._

_Lastly the Fire Nation drew their power from the dragons. The dragons taught a different kind of firebending than the kind seen today, not destructive but radiating, like the rays of the sun. It was this feature of the mighty dragons that epitomized fire's beauty and natural part of the balance that belongs to us all, not just the Fire Nation, as the moon and the ocean continue to serve all humanity, not just the Water Tribes. During the great age when these magnificent beasts roamed the skies, all the world was a different place, especially the Fire Nation._

_In the beginning, each of the four nations was led by five sages, spiritual masters of their respective bending arts. Over time, however, traditions gave way and the four nations grew apart: the Air Nomads settled into remote locations and mountains and detached themselves from worldly possessions, the Water Tribe split apart and went to opposite ends of the world, the peoples of the Earth Kingdom spread across the largest continent and developed separate customs while maintaining strong ties with one another. The Fire Nation, meanwhile, came under the rule of the Fire Lord and grew more ambitious with their rising power. As the nations changed and progressed, the original bending teachers continued to play a vital role in keeping them true to their roots and in touch with who they are. After all, even though everyone was part of the same world, everyone was attached to one and only one element. Even those who could not bend fit this way into the natural order, except for one person. The Avatar, born once every lifetime, was the master of all four elements and the human-spirit of all four nations, our sacred protector and personification of the world itself._

_But then, everything fell apart on the day when the Fire Nation attacked. Harnessing power granted to him by the power of the Great Comet, the infamous Fire Lord Sozin invaded the other nations to assert his dominance over all. At the same time, he began hunting the dragons, his own nation's original bending teachers, and destroying their way of firebending. With his newer, more destructive form, the Fire Nation shows mercy for nothing and for no one. The old Fire Nation once part of the harmony is gone, and the now-destructive fire incinerates everything in its path and is well on its way to consuming us all. It was always times of imbalance like these when the Avatar would be called on to save the world, but when the world needed him most, he vanished. Some savior. Meanwhile, the rest of humanity was left to fend for themselves._

_More than ninety years have passed and the Fire Nation has slowly, but surely grown closer to victory in the War. After Sozin passed away, his son Azulon carried on his work. With the Air Nomads vanquished and the once strong and prosperous Southern Water Tribe on the verge of being wiped out themselves, only our vast and diverse peoples spread across the Earth Kingdom and our Northern Water allies remain._

_Some people believe that the Avatar was never reborn into the Air Nomads, and that the cycle is broken. Others continue to cling to hope and believe that the long-lost Avatar is still out there. For me...what difference does it really make? The world we live in is what is real, and there's no use dwelling on a bygone golden age in our distant past. There is no Avatar, no universal hero to save ourselves for us. The only line of defense we have that can stand in the way of the ruthless Fire Nation war machine is made up of people who put themselves on the line to stop it, people who sacrifice everything they have. People like me._

_My name is Ratana, and this is my story._

The girl grunted as she punched her arm forth, her feet planted into the earth as firmly as tree roots. Determination livened up in her emerald eyes as she hardened herself and jabbed in front of herself again, clearly unsatisfied with the results of her labor the previous time. She paused briefly and looked at the ground beneath her shiny shoes, as though waiting for something to happen, but found herself disappointed once again.

Now visibly frustrated, she lifted her right leg and swung it up as high as she could, focusing her chi with every fiber of her being. Something did move this time, but it was not on the ground below her. It was _her_.

The little child let out a faint yelp as the toe of her foot caught the silky bottom of her greenish-black dress lined by lighter green designs. A few seconds of soaring into the air and she felt herself collapse back down to the ground, her butt now covered in tiny dots of brown dust from beneath the grass.

"Ratana?" The girl gasped in response to the new voice, having been so distracted by her trip that she did not realize she was no longer alone. Lady Rang Xue was sporting an extravagant turquoise gown and a necklace strung of valuable pearls from the northern coast of the continent. With her hair sleek and straightened as straight as arrows - from the tireless work of her personal servants - she styled herself just like any other nobleman's wife in the Earth Kingdom city of Munn.

Rang Xue's daughter rose back up to her feet and the girl's momentary worry that she was going to be scolded for dirtying her dress was put to rest by the kind, caring expression on her mother's face. But that sense of relief did not last long, either, and she broke eye contact, her beams of vision met the grass instead.

"Is something bothering you?" Rang Xue asked, her eyes full of concern after noticing her child's downcast look.

"I think they were wrong about me," Ratana responded solemnly as she took both hands and wiped off her the back of her slender dress. "They made a mistake. I'm not an earthbender."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I've been out here forever and I haven't been able to bend anything!" the impatient little girl cried out loud enough for the neighbors to hear.

Ratana's mother did not reflect her outburst, but instead smirked and raised an eyebrow. "That's because you're approaching it wrong."

Although calmed down somewhat by her mother's controlled demeanor, she was still resigned nonetheless. "How?"

Rang Xue lifted the edges of her skirt and knelt down in front of the young girl. "Here, let me show you something," she stated, making a loose fist with her right hand and holding it out in front of her head at a perpendicular angle. "Hold your arm out like mine."

Judging by the look, Ratana did not see the point of this exercise. Nevertheless, she complied anyway.

"Now, bring your arm back down again," Rang Xue instructed.

"Uhh...okay." Ratana lowered her arm once more and hung it loosely by her side.

"Good," Rang Xue told her. "Now try to bring my arm down."

Ratana brought her opposite arm up, grabbing her mother's wrist, and began to pull down on it. But Rang Xue's arm did not move with her own, and Ratana took hold of her mother's elbow with her free hand and applied more pressure. It was for naught, though, as Rang Xue held her arm stiff, not budging.

"So, did you notice that bringing your own arm down was much easier?" Rang Xue asked as Ratana let go of her and gave up.

"Yeah...because you resisted when I tried to move yours," Ratana uttered slowly.

"Your arm didn't resist you though, did it?"

"Of course not," Ratana said simply, eyes reflecting her uncertainty at why she was being posed these mundane questions. "My arm's part of me."

"Exactly." Standing back up, Rang Xue took a bending stance and kicked the grassy floor beneath their feet. In response to her motion, a mound of dirt-covered rock stuck out of the ground, and the one beside it followed suit less than a second later, and the next, and the next. Soon, an eight-foot line of earth was sticking out before them. "Any truly skilled swordsman considers their weapon not as a mere tool, but as an extension of their self. Your father would know that very well. It's the same with bending: any master bender must treat their element like an extension of their self."

Ratana was finding it difficult to process the meaning of this all at once, but she was relieved to be back on the right subject. "So...earth is an extension of me?"

"Yes, but that's only half the equation," said Rang Xue. "You're an extension of it, too."

"I'm confused," Ratana stated, blinking her eyes quickly.

"Earth is the most stubborn element there is, so you can't just force yourself upon it in the wrong way. You have to make part of yourself stubborn as the rock you intend to bend in order to bend it, but something so stubborn won't budge if it feels like it's having its fate forced upon it from the outside. That's the opposite of it's nature. Most important of all, you must recognize your own ties to the earth and regard yourself as ultimately part of it."

After inhaling a deep breath and taking in her mother's words before exhaling, Ratana took the same stance that her mother had taken and kicked her own foot downward. In contrast to the past hour of her attempting to get used to her new ability, she now felt a hot energy surge flow along her veins, and the soil beneath the grass reacted to it. Ratana's earth line was the same shape as her mother's, but smaller, like her smaller leg and smaller years.

"Yay, I did it!" the girl exclaimed, opening her mouth wide as her face lit up. "I earthbended!"

However, her heart soon sank once again. "Rang Xue!" Unlike the first new voice that had arrived, this one was not warm, but firm. It belonged to a tall man with long, wiry hair and thick beard upon his face. With a thick coat of armor covering his chest, this man held a commanding presence as he stood in the doorway of his fine estate. "We're already running late, so we need to get going. She needs to change her clothes first." He was pointing at Ratana, but not addressing her directly.

"We'll be right up, Roshune," Rang Xue disarmed her husband in her mild voice. The man nodded his head and returned indoors, leaving his wife and child standing outside. "Congratulations," Rang Xue added, turning back to her daughter as she wrapped her arms around her sides and planted a kiss on Ratana's smooth forehead. She then bent over and gazed into her daughter's eyes with her own, their orbs meeting each other at the same height above the ground. "Remember this first lesson well, no matter where you are, no matter what you do. Earth can be stubborn, but even it is not too stubborn to be bent by you, so to be in perfect harmony with it you must occasionally allow your own stubbornness to give way."

"How will I know when to do that?" asked Ratana.

"Use your neutral jing," her mother said simply. "Listen and you'll know when the right time comes around."

Ratana raised her eyebrows quizzically. "Huh?"

"Never mind, you'll learn about that later. For now, just remember this: stay who you are, always, but make sure you're open to the right kind of change when the time comes."

Ratana nodded. "I will, Mom."


	2. Stone Walls, Wooden Doors

Peaceful dusk sat itself upon one of the numerous Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom, the glistening wave of gold nestling itself on top of the wooden huts. Despite it's size, the hilltop position of this simple community gave it disproportionate value in the war that had been going on for nearly a century. As was common in a small town like this, the shops had already closed and most people were getting ready to turn in early. Weary from boredom, the red-armored guards at the front gate prepared to turn in themselves and make way for the night shift to take their place at the opening of the fifteen-foot stone wall that lined the edge of the town. By a single look, one could tell that this particular colony had not been under Fire Nation control for very long, and that it was much like the Earth Kingdom had left it when they occupied it. No Fire Nation officer was foolish enough to fortify their territory in this land with a wall of stone.

_CRASH!_

All of a sudden, the Fire Nation guardsman of the day shift were awakened from their daydreams and shook into alertness as a second hole was made in the wall surrounding the settlement. Half a dozen figures garbed in conical hats and catgator-green tunics with the rounded earthbending symbol emblazoned on their chest stood in the brand-new entranceway, their faces hardened and their left arms lifted in the air in unison. Before the Fire Nation soldiers fully knew what had hit them, these soldiers - known as the Terra Team - each tapped their right feet lightly and rock spheres jumped up from below, before being guided by their callers to soar with high speed at their red-armored targets.

Two of the red-armored men, cursed by slow reaction time, succumbed to the flying rocks and fell to the grassy floor. One of their skull-masked comrades leapt aside of the projectile and knelt on the ground as he executed a well-positioned punch in the direction of the attacker closest to him. His chi heated up and his breath grew strong as he exhibited his own bending art. However, his target, a slim figure with long dark hair flowing in the breeze beneath her own conical hat, sprint-jumped a few feet from the earth and managed to dodge the line of sparking fire that came in her direction. She smirked as her feet touched back to the ground, now closer to her opponent. This was Ratana, the Terra Team's lone female.

"Nice shot!" she jeered at the firebender beside her. "Maybe a few more years and you'll actually be able to hit something!"

Ratana did not have to see the man's face or hear his voice in order to feel the rage boiling on the other side of the skull mask. Still crouching, he jabbed this arm and sent a sharper, faster blast of fire toward her, but by the time it reached the spot where she once was, Ratana was already in the air again. At the end of her jump she swept about her right leg and hit her limb square against his skull-face, denting his helmet and knocking him back. When her feet planted themselves once again, she whirled both arms inward and erected earthen shackles around his arms, leaving him trapped and unable to bend. She then spun about and found a flank of ten enemy soldiers emerging from inside a nearby wooden hut. The skull-faced firebenders assumed their fighting stances and the unmasked spear wielders grasped their weapons tightly. They stood between the Earth Kingdom invaders and the inner square of the town, which, among other things, included the governor's house. Unlike the first group the Terra Team encountered that day, these ones were ready for them.

Ratana dragged her leg back and thrust both arms forward, carving a shallow earth trench at the perimeter between them and launching up blunt earthen spikes diagonally at her opponents. For the first time since stepping on the battlefield that day, Ratana was not solely counting on her own abilities. Rather, she was counting on Tooru's. In the Terra Team, soldiers were paired up with their sparring opponent in training exercises, who was also their partner on the battlefield. Ratana focused every bit of her skill, every ounce of her strength and every fiber of her being at keeping up her wave of rock knives and neutralizing the Fire Nation guards. As a result, she did not have any energy left for watching her own back. She may have been a talented earthbender, but if a fireball hit her from behind now, she would be burnt to a crisp within seconds. Therefore, she had to trust Tooru as much as she trusted herself when he watched her back. The Terra Team were trained to adhere to the principle of working together over self-reliance. Ratana had no trouble doing this now, as she and Tooru had fought together and bled together many times. On the battlefield, they were family, as they must be.

After several long moments, the Terra Team managed to break through. Ratana ceased her attack and she, Tooru and three of their comrades charged to where the enemy had stood. Their eight remaining opponents fell back and ran in retreat. One of the earlier ten had been rendered unconscious by a boulder and another had been unfortunate enough to have his face pierced by a flying rock spike.

Rounding up on the rim of the inner square, Ratana and Tooru looked both ways and then back to one another. "It looks like we've got them on the run," Tooru told her with a curt nod of his head.

"Right," Ratana returned. "Let's keep moving while we've got the tide on our side."

"Taigang said that we should wait and regroup when we got to this point," stated Shun Ping, a mousy comrade of theirs, thinner than Ratana and Tooru and about half a head shorter than either. "He and his partner Zan Xun should be a little behind us right now."

"That's a brilliant idea," Ratana voiced with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. "While we're 'regrouping', we'd also give the Fire Nation time to bring in their own reinforcements."

"So, we should just carry on, then?" Tooru asked as he peered forth and surveyed the area some more.

Ratana looked into his eyes and nodded. "When we're so close to fulfilling our mission, it'd be foolish to let such an opportune moment slip away."

The five earthbenders stormed into the inner square together, their footsteps pounding in unison against the backdrop of soaring rocks and scourging fire blasts in the chaos of this not-long-ago peaceful village. Tooru and Shun Ping each engaged a firebender in a one-on-one duel as the others worked together on creating a thick earth wall to block a possible route for Fire Nation reinforcements to enter the area. Meanwhile, Ratana set her eyes on the governor's house.

Drawing her good arm back, Ratana levitated a mound of earth one-foot in diameter out of the ground and allowed it to hover between her and the wooden door to the governor's house for a moment. Then, in a tremendous thrust, she punched forward, her energy pulsating and her fingers curled tightly into a firm fist. The brown rock soared through the air and smashed straight through the door. Granted, it had not actually been locked, but at a time like this Ratana could not allow herself time to check before acting.

Charging through the newly-created hole in the cracked and splintered wooden door, Ratana found a balding, middle-aged man with a scraggly beard hanging from his chin. He was garbed in fancy, regal red robes with the fiery emblem of Azulon just below the shoulder, and was flanked by two spearmen - one on either side of his desk.

"Lay down your arms!" Ratana called to the guards, but they did not have much time to do so before they were forced to. Although separated from the earth by a wooden floor, Ratana was not out of her element by any means. Years of training under Brawki and becoming accustomed to serving in the Earth Kingdom military had brought the daughter of Roshune and Rang Xue of Munn a long way. She swung both arms in the air and a pair of corresponding columns of rocks sprung from the ground, smashed through the floor - leaving broken off pieces of wood scattered in separate directions, and fastened themselves around the spearmen's wrists. Cringing, their fingers succumbed and their weapons dropped to the ground.

The shocked Fire Nation governor gulped as Ratana narrowed her eyes and marched toward him, fists clenched. Swiftly, she flattened out her right palm and brought it down just in front of the speechless, feeble governor's throat. "We hereby reclaim this town in the name of the 52nd Earth King."


	3. The Day's End

In the aftermath of their successful regaining of a lost colony, Ratana and the rest of the Terra Team triumphantly returned to their Earth Kingdom Army barracks several miles south of Ba Sing Se. It was an underground base which had existed for multiple generations. Hidden beneath a giant boulder in an expansive forest, it was accessible only by earthbending, having in fact been constructed through the art in the first place. There was always an earthbender on duty there, as any nonbender entering or departing relied on them.

The head commanding officer was General Sung. A shorter, stout middle-aged man with a thin, pointed mustache stretching across his cheeks, Sung oversaw the entire war effort in this region of the country. As was commonly the case, the busy general was not present. More often, Ratana and her crew reported to Colonel Quan Jing. Quan Jing had several battalions under his control, the Terra Team among them. It was he that Ratana informed of the success of their expedition after returning. Tooru, Shun Ping and the rest of her Terra Team comrades stood proudly beside her, except for the bitter Taigang, who wore a scowl.

Ten rooms were carved out of the dirt in one section of the compound. There were two bunks in each, and twenty members of the Terra Team dwelt there altogether, each member and their partner sharing a room. As he entered the room closest to the entrance, Taigang smashed his fist against the dark-brown wall, shaking a handful of rocks down from the ceiling and cracking his and Zan Xun's lantern in the process. Meanwhile, Ratana and Tooru were in the midst of reliving the battle together through their words as they entered their room together down the hall.

"So, when you said 'lay down your arms,' did you actually give them any time to do so before pouncing on them?" Tooru asked her with a laugh. "It sounds like you were pretty much earthbending at the same time you were talking."

Ratana smirked and shook her head. "I gave them at least a courtesy split-second to comply before I laid down their arms for them," she said as she pulled off the hat of her uniform and shook her long hair loose. "If that's not long enough for them, then, well...the Fire Nation had better train their soldiers to have faster reaction time!"

"And then what was it you said when you were in front of the governor?" Tooru asked her heartily.

"We hereby reclaim this town in the name of the 52nd Earth King."

"Ah, that's right," said Tooru, nodding. "Very...official of you. Of course, I doubt young Kuei appreciates your efforts much, considering he doesn't even know this war's being fought. Anyhow, Taigang seemed pretty angry on his way in tonight. I think he wanted to be the first to reach the governor's house."

Ratana stopped undoing the lining of her Terra Team outfit and pointed a finger at him. "First of all, watch it. Even if we're on one of the most elite earthbending units there is, we're still only soldiers of the Earth Kingdom, and we shouldn't call the Earth King by his first name, even in casual conversation. Second, I don't give a spider rat's behind about Taigang's ego. Of course he always wants all the glory for himself, and that's exactly why I can never allow him to have it."

Sitting himself down on his bunk, Tooru smiled weakly at his bold partner. "We've got some time before our next venture, so some of us were going to head into Ba Sing Se for some fun. You in?"

"No thanks," Ratana replied as she sat in the old wooden chair beside the tiny, dusty desk in their quarters. "I think I'll get to bed early tonight - maybe practice my earthbending a bit."

Tooru scoffed. "Bah! It'll be great. Ba Sing Se's a lively city with no end of things to do."

"We fight the Fire Nation day-in and day-out. Forgive me, but I don't see beating them in one battle as a sudden cause for celebration. Besides, I have a feeling some of the others will want to go to the Lower Ring and scout out some call girls, and I don't need to be around for that."

"Indeed," Tooru confirmed with a nod. "Taigang said he'd show us where to find the same place he went to last time he was there."

Ratana raised an eyebrow at Tooru. "Really? I would expect somebody like Taigang to go that shallow, but I didn't think you would."

Tooru gestured to his chest with both arms defensively. "Hey, a guy's got to get a little bit of excitement between battles!"

"Well, if that's on the agenda you can definitely count me out. I wouldn't have much to do while the rest of you get call girls."

"You could get a call _boy_," Tooru suggested, shrugging.

"No thanks," Ratana told him. "I don't need a gigolo." She caught sight of a faded mark at the helm of Tooru's shirt. "What's wrong with your shoulder guard, is it damaged?"

"Oh that," Tooru acknowledged, patting the spot Ratana was indicating. "Yeah, it's worn out from some of our recent engagements. I took a bad fire blast there about a week ago in that stronghold to the south. The darn thing was almost shattered."

"I see," said Ratana, eyeing his battered uniform with unease. "You should put in for a new one. You can't go on like that."

"I would, but the army's spread too thin to supply me another one right now."

"Then you'll have to get one on your own accord before our next battle," Ratana told him sternly. "Try one of the local markets."

"Sounds good," said Tooru. "I'm a little short on money, though. Do you think you could spot me and I'll get you back later?"

Ratana winced at him. "You're spending money for feminine comfort, so I find it hard to believe you can't spare a little for something key to protecting yourself on the battlefield."

"Well, we never know if we're going to live to see another day," Tooru said matter-of-factly. "It's never guaranteed to us."

"Don't forget," Ratana raised her voice, pointing directly at Tooru's dark green eyes. "I need you to watch my back out there, which you can't do if you're dead, so you're putting me at risk, too, by delaying this."

"Good point," Tooru admitted. "So, since you have an interest in this too, I guess we'll go fifty-fifty on it, then?"

Ratana glared at him. "That's not what I meant."

"Hmmmm." Tooru was pondering to himself. "I guess I could try to save some money. Maybe I don't need a call girl."

"There you go, Tooru," Ratana said approvingly as she turned to get a scroll.

"I'll just hit up some of the local taverns and try out my _lines_," he added through a toothy grin.

Ratana let out an exasperated sigh as she put the scroll back down and faced her partner once again. "Tooru, that's not what I meant, either!"

"The ones I've been working on now are pretty solid. Here, I'll show you some of them." Tooru stated, ignoring her response. "Oh come on," he added, noticing the look on his partner's face. "Just for pretend, it won't be weird or nothing."

"Ugh, fine!" Resigned, Ratana rolled her eyes and turned to face Tooru in her seat.

Tooru crouched over and gently clasped over his partner's right hand with his own and gazed into her irises. "Darling, those eyes of yours sparkle like two-of-a-kind precious gems that not even the famed King of Omashu could bend. You know, I've fought many firebenders in my time-"

"You can't say that in Ba Sing Se," Ratana cut in.

"I've...been...near fire...many times," Tooru went on, hastily regaining his composure. "But never have I been warmer than I am right now, sitting next to my love. My heart burns for you. Let me be the rock of your world, baby," he finished, curling both sides of his lips upward and moving his dark, hairy eyebrows up and down.

"Okay, never mind," Ratana said as she flicked her arm and brushed Tooru's hand away from her own. "Just get yourself a call girl, Tooru." Ignoring her partner's scowl, she yanked out a piece of scroll, rested it on her knee-caps and began composing her diary entry for the day.


	4. The Death of a Fire Lord

After a single soft mochi bun and a hot, hastily-made cup of caffeinated tea, Chen, the royal caterer, was now prepared for the day, and it was a busy day indeed that he had ahead of him. His occupation was in charge of organizing scheduled events for the royal family of his nation. Many of these functions were more or less routine: stately dinners, gatherings of nobles and members of court, informal meetings with generals and advisors and receptions following a special ceremony.

A humble hall-boy in his youth, Chen had endured the long climb of the ladder to reach where he was today. Now with had several busying persons working underneath him, Chen held everything to high standards, and was not shy about making it known. Whether it was a formal occasion or a leisurely party, Chen worked hard behind the scenes to keep up the royalty's life of excess and make certain that everything went according to plan. Although he was not as visible as the Fire Lord and the others whom he served, he took great pride in his work behind the scenes to meet their expectations. It was he who would be held responsible should anything go poorly, spirits forbid.

Marching down one of the many spiral stone staircases to the servant's quarters underneath the Fire Nation Royal Palace, Chen twitched his mouth in an effort to quell that taste of the dark tea he hated so much. It was only when there was an especially important occasion at hand, such as a funeral or a wedding, that Chen would resort to replacing sleep with caffeine. Today, it was a funeral. A royal funeral.

Flowers? Check. Program? Check. Invitations? Check. Ushers in place? Check. The royal caterer went through the list in his mind as he went down to inspect that all was in order and to go over last minute details. Chen had a reputation of being thorough. In fact, he had been so busy with his work that he had not even had time to check who the funeral was for yet. Chuckling to himself and smacking his palm to his forehead, Chen told himself he'd better check now. It would be quite embarrassing for him if he slipped up talking to someone about it later. Chen casually strode over to the mantle where the body currently lay, blissfully garbed in finer clothing than most living souls ever dreamed of. Suddenly, Chen froze in his tracks. The body was none other than that of the Fire Lord himself.

It took a few seconds for this horrible truth to sink in for him. Chen had not only been meant to plan a royal funeral, but also a coronation! Since it was seven decades since the last Fire Lord ascended the throne, this was a once-in-a-lifetime event for almost all. Not only was this the last day of Azulon's reign, but it was the first of Iroh's. If Chen was held responsible for bungling the preparation for this, none of what he had accomplished before would have mattered. It would be the end of life as he knew it. The new Fire Lord and those who followed him would see to that.

Chen's breathless panic came in stages in the hour before the ceremony was to commence. With so much to do and nearly no time to do it, he didn't even know where to start. No sooner had he decided that pulling it together in time was a hopeless endeavor than he shifted gears to thinking who he could blame if the event was not up to standard. The itinerary had merely said "funeral," not "coronation." But of course, the funeral of a Fire Lord so obviously meant a coronation that it shouldn't have to be said! Chen shook his head at himself in shame. Only a fool would have to be told that...and a fool was what he would be.

At the very least, he needed the Fire Lord's headpiece, so he could give it to the Fire Sages. Chen promptly dropped all the papers in his arms and sprinted up the spiral staircase, two to three steps at a time, toward the royal chambers. He was only barely able to stop himself from colliding with another person at the top of the stairwell.

The skinny man with short, top-knotted dark gray hair covering his head and hanging from his chin leaned back and raised both eyebrows. "Chen, I see you're in a mad hurry this morning," Qin, the stern Deputy War Minister commented with dry pompousness. "Is everything in order?"

"Y-yes, your excellency, of course it is." Exasperated, Chen extended a proper bow to the esteemed member of the government. "I-I just..."

"You just what?"

The timid air washed over the sighing Chen's backside. There was nothing else for it. "Where's the Fire Lord's headpiece?"

Qin raised an eyebrow. "I don't know...I suspect that the Fire Lord might be wearing it."

"He wears that headpiece no more! I'm afraid he never will again. I need to find it so they can put it on Iroh's head within the hour!"

"What do you mean?" asked Qin in alarm.

So, Qin apparently did not know either. "Come, I'll show you!" Chen was somewhat relieved not to be the only one, though it made little difference as Qin was not responsible for today like he was. "Fire Lord Azulon lies dead, Sir," Chen said, pointing, as they reached the bottom of the stairs once again. "Look!"

The Deputy Minister of War bent his head over the long body his frantic comrade had gestured to. "That's not the Fire Lord, you idiot," Qin sneered.

The lower government official batted his eyes in relief, but also in confusion. "Then...who is it?"

"Prince Lizen the Elder."

The year the never-ending war began, the elderly Fire Lord Sozin and his wife were blessed with what was soon declared a miracle birth. Both were long past child-bearing age, but as the great comet passed through the atmosphere, the Fire Lady bore two healthy, strong young twin boys during the historic battle with army of the Air Nation. The identical pair became known as the Sons of the Comet. Born as their country went to war, the citizens of their homeland knew that they would both grow up to perform great deeds, conquering nations of the world together like bronzed warriors in battle. As they got older, however, a pivotal difference became clear. One was a firebender, and the other one wasn't.

From the day that that was found out, everything was different. It was exceptionally rare to hear of a non-bender being born into the Fire Nation royal family, though that was hard to tell if it was actually a rare event or merely one rarely heard about. Azulon became a firebending master and led this countrymen to glory and victory, garnering may conquests in the Earth Kingdom and making his patriotic nation and his esteemed father proud. Lizen, on the other hand, disappeared from view after that. Even though it was known that he married eventually and had a son of his own, most of public forgot that the Fire Lord even had a brother. Judging from his body, he had met with a quiet death in his sleep. Given his age it was not surprising, but somewhat unexpected. In death, after a lifetime in background, a little of the long-lost attention was given back, albeit only day's worth at his funeral.

The crimson-robed Great Fire Sage stood atop the grand platform and cleared his throat as he spoke up for all to hear. "Lizen, Son of the Comet, Prince of our nation, dedicated soldier. You were father to Lizen, your son and namesake, husband to Yali, now passed. Grandfather to Jaya. Brother to Azulon, Fire Lord of our Nation. We lay you to rest."

Watching the two lesser sages ignite the fire for the cremation of Lizen's body were a modest crowd comprised mainly of members of Lizen's family. Closest to the front were Prince Lizen the Younger, a tall man with slightly-messed night-black hair which he did not bother to form a top knot with, unlike most of those around him, and his daughter Jaya. She was almost as tall as the younger Lizen and wore her long hair down. Unlike her father and grandfather, she was born with ability to bend. Behind them stood Azulon, the Fire Lord, who shared the elder Lizen's appearance. Naturally, every child and grandchild of his was a firebender. Crown Prince Iroh and his own son Lu Ten stood side by side. Not far off were Iroh's brother Ozai, who had come to the funeral with his wife Ursa, and their two young children Zuko and Azula. Despite the fact that Zuko was two years older, Azula had been discovered to be a firebender first.

Azulon's ancient advisors Lo and Li were also present at the funeral. Like him and his brother, they were twins. The rest of those gathered to lay Prince Lizen the Elder to rest were a handful of retired Fire Nation military commanders. Among them were General Shu, who had served in the Earth Kingdom for four and a half decades, and Han Shui, the former commander of the Southern Raiders. Han Shui was credited with destroying all the larger settlements in the Southern Water Tribe and reducing their existing villages to scattered and isolated locales, and more importantly, wiping out all their waterbenders. The Southern Tribe, once a significant threat, had little-to-no serious ability to oppose the Fire Nation any longer. Now retired, the decorated Han Shui had become an avid gambler.

Following the official funeral, Crown Prince Iroh strode over and approached the bereaved Lizen the Younger. "My dear cousin, I am so sorry for your loss. I offer you my heartfelt condolences to you."

"Thank you, Iroh," Lizen returned to him with a sharp nod.

Prince Iroh abruptly turned to Princess Jaya. "You know, your grandfather was quite a pai sho player, if I might say so. I would often play with him when I finished my firebending training. Perhaps one day you and I can play a game."

"Thanks, but no thanks, Cousin Iroh," said Jaya. Hardly ever smiling, the marble-like curves of her features carried themselves. Jaya carried with her a stern kind of beauty, which had drawn hordes of later-disappointed suitors. "Not my thing."

"General Iroh?" The silver-haired Han Shui tapped on the right shoulder of the crown prince, about the same age as he. "I wondered if I might have a word sometime."

"You can have a word now," Iroh chuckled.

"No, it's something I have to talk to you about in private," said Han Shui, narrowing his eyes.

"Well, assuming it's not urgent, you can come to my quarters for tea next week," Iroh told him with a shrug.

"Perfect," Han Shui replied, both ends of his mouth curling. "By the way, happy anniversary."

The jovial, upper middle-aged crown prince paused for a moment. It was well known that Prince Iroh had loved his late wife dearly, and marked the day of their wedding every year in his own way. He was touched by the line, though it sounded too sentimental to be coming from the mouth of the man who spoke it. "Thanks, Han Shui, but it's not for another few months."

For a moment, Han Shui appeared just as confused as Iroh had been, but then he regained himself. "No, no that," he clarified. "Your _other_ anniversary."

Iroh's heart sank. Naturally, Han Shui had not been talking about Lu Ten's late mother at all. "Of course," he said meagerly. "That one's in a couple days." There were some things this old soldier wished would just go away.


	5. At the Marketplace

"Ratana!" Tooru called down the earthen hallway to his partner, still in their room. "Time to go to the market."

"Ugh!" Ratana groaned with unwilling exasperation. "I don't feel like it today, Tooru. You guys go ahead."

"Come on, you missed out on a good time in Ba Sing Se the other night," Tooru told her, now hanging off to the side of their doorway. "You can get something you like while I look for a new shoulder guard," he continued.

The peeved Terra Team woman hung her head, resigned. "Fine, but just give me a couple minutes to get ready."

The marketplace Tooru and the others had picked to go to that day was, of course, the same marketplace they always went to. The market lay several miles down the coastline from the Serpent's Pass. It was a fair, but manageable walking distance from where the Terra Team was stationed. The houses and shops were all constructed in an identical style with long slates of wood topped with moss-green rooftops, giving it the look of a misshapen forest.

Even though it was a small settlement, it was always bustling with trade and activity, being a port town. Here, one could find, amongst other things, antiques, tea, food, weapons, earthbending scrolls, and though they were harder to find, waterbending scrolls. Every once in a while, an airbending scroll turned up, though that would be no more than an antique to anyone. If a firebending scroll was ever found on the market, it would quickly be confiscated by the local government, though that did not mean it was impossible to acquire one if one really desired it. There was a sizable black market as well, which the tourists tended to steer clear of. A few amongst the pack of Terra Team members that made the long walk to the market were looking for tea. Tooru, of course, needed a fresh shoulder guard.

As for Ratana, she set her eye on one of the exotic fruit stalls. "Are these really all the way from Kyoshi Island?" she posed a question to a short older man sporting a blue tunic, in contrast to the green-wearing folk of most of his nation.

"They are indeed, my good lady," he confirmed, picking up one of his round, wet specimens and cheerfully holding it out to his visitor. "Here, try a free sample."

The tangy bite Ratana took felt cool and juicy as she swished it about her mouth. "I haven't had anything this good in years!"

The seller nodded, pleased with himself. "I kept it on ice most of the way, so it's still got a nice, fresh taste to it."

Ratana smiled. "I'll buy a bag's worth, so I'll have some for tomorrow and the next day."

Perhaps by coincidence, or perhaps not, two more members of the Terra Team were the next to approach the gentleman's stall. "You're from Kyoshi, aren't you?" asked Taigang. As he was taller than the average man, he towered over the merchant.

"Y-yes?" The seller was much less comfortable than when Ratana approached him.

"I heard you've stayed out of the war so far," Taigang commented sinisterly. His voice now sounded smooth, but intimidating. "We're out risking our lives against the Fire Nation, and you're loafing around with your elephant koi."

Zan Xun, Taigang's friend and Terra Team partner, smirked. "I hear they let their women fight for them."

"Is that so?" Taigang raised an eyebrow in bitter jest. "Perhaps we should give this here man a lesson."

"Umm...thanks," the now-shaking seller told them. "But I'm not an earthbender."

"Oh, don't worry," Taigang told him with mock-reassurance. "You don't need to be able to bend for our lessons. Here, we'll give you the first one free!"

"You're generous, Taigang," Zan Xun added with a snicker. "Perhaps too generous. Our lessons are worth something." Zan Xun proceeded to bend over and lift one of the Kyoshi-man's fruit crates with both his arms. "This'll do."

"Please, no!" the seller protested in vain.

Taigang held his arm out to halt the man in place. "Now, the most basic exercises in earthbending are throwing rocks and stopping rocks. We'll demonstrate for you the proper way to throw rocks, while you can get some practice stopping them. Nice two-for-one deal, eh?" He and Zan Xun both shared a laugh.

Meanwhile, about twenty feet away, Tooru nearly broke one of his teeth on something hard. "Hey, what's with this vegetable?! It's rock-solid!"

Leaning back against a pillar, his partner rolled her eyes at him. "That's because it's a gourd, Tooru." Ratana then turned her head back to the fruit stall she had been earlier and witnessed the scene in front of her.

_"Ratana?" The girl's eyelids parted slowly as she heard the serene sound of her mother's voice. "Time to get up, dear," said Rang Xue. "We're going to the market."_

_The tired child rolled over and tightened her grip on her bed-covers. "Do I have to, Mom? I wanted to earthbend today..."_

_"Your father has to meet with some high-ranking men there this morning," Rang Xue informed her daughter warmly, but firmly. "Cheer up, though. I'll buy you something you like while we're there."_

_Ratana groaned as she rolled out of bed and pushed her hanging strands of hair away from her eyes._

_The marketplace in Munn was crowded any day of the week, being located at the inmost hub of such a big city. The outer edges were lined with sizable, indoor shops and the square and tributary alleyways, guarded by armored soldiers serving their king, filled with various vendors and wholesalers. With so many other sellers around, bartering was employed almost as often as the use of currency. Some of the vendors barely survived day-to-day, while others enjoyed a cornucopia of profits. In another city, this would be a nexus of opportunity, but as always was the case in Munn, it was how affluent and privileged one's family was that defined them, and one's social status could easily be deduced by the quality of the clothes they wore._

_Ratana and her parents arrived in the northern corner of the square in a gilded palanquin pulled by four lean bearers with sweat leaking down from their foreheads, which they squinted to keep out of their eyes, now tired from serving so many stouter, more corpulent folk. Roshune stepped out first once they were stopped and turned back to extend his arm back up to his wife, and Rang Xue smiled as he assisted her down. Not far behind, Ratana energetically hopped out after them. As her parents made her dress well whenever they were in public, she was now in the same dress she had been wearing during the first earthbending lesson her mother gave her._

_While Ratana's father marched his way into one of the local taverns to meet with a handful of the king's ministers with whom he had business to discuss, her mother told her that she would take her anywhere she wished. Ratana hesitated at first, as each direction looked appealing in its own way. Finally, she allowed her nose to resolve what her eyes could not, as her nostrils picked up the scent of something sweet and freshly-baked. Detouring down a small side-street, the curious girl soon found the source of the smell at a stall run by a humble-looking man in a greenish-brown sleeveless tunic._

_"Welcome!" Having been distracted before, the man perked up at the arrival of his visitors. "How can I help you, today?" He was clearly not used to having such finely-dressed patrons._

_"What's that yummy smell, mister?" Ratana asked with a lick of her lips._

_"That, is one of my sugar tarts," he answered with pride. "I made them all by myself today."_

_"Can I have one?" Ratana asked her mother, pleading with her eyes._

_"Just one," Rang Xue told her. "So you don't spoil your lunch." She proceeded to hand five bronze pieces to the man, wondering if she was being overcharged, but conceding for her daughter's sake. "What do you say?" she asked as her Ratana sank her teeth into the snack._

_"Thank you," Ratana managed to tell the seller through a pleasing mouthful._

_"You're welcome...milady. Enjoy!"_

_As Ratana and Rang Xue were about to leave, a turquoise-robed man with short, moderately-curled hair and small beard with a queue hanging about his neck rushed up to the stall, his shoes brown and dampened from stomping in the mud. "You!" He extended his pointed finger threateningly at the man selling the sugar tarts. "My wife and I were sick day yesterday and the day before!"_

_The seller batted his eyes, unsure of himself. "Sorry to hear that, Sir. There's an herbalist just around the corner from here..."_

_"Just before we both got sick, we ate your tarts." Judging by the tailoring of his clothing, this man's family was wealthier than the seller's, but not quite as rich as Ratana's._

_"Well...you're the only customer I've had who's come to me about this," the seller said with controlled composure. "I do know there's a cold going around this time of year."_

_"Stop making excuses for yourself!" the disgruntled man snapped. "I demand a refund. And by the way, I had a trip planned to Ba Sing Se with expensive, non-refundable reservations that I needed to cancel. Why don't you compensate me for that as well? Of course, I wouldn't expect someone of your stature to understand."_

_"Wait here, Ratana," said Rang Xue. She took a deep breath and went back over to the stall. "It seems there's been a misunderstanding..."_

_"Stay out of this!" the yellow-robed man barked loudly. This outburst was poorly-timed, as yet another person approached the scene just as he said it._

_"What's going on?" From the resolve in Roshune's voice, both the frugal seller and the unsatisfied buyer knew that their dispute was nearing its conclusion. Having found his wife and daughter again, the imposing black-haired man clad in Dorunian armor discovered the commotion at the same time._

_"This man's being mean!" Ratana yelled out, pointing to the entitled man in yellow._

_"Hush," said Roshune, holding up his hand to silence her._

_"This man sold me bad food," said the accuser, calmer but still agitated._

_Roshune narrowed his eyes. "Refund him."_

_"But, my lord, this was just coincidence," the seller protested. "I-"_

_"And," the other man interrupted pretentiously, his lower lip curling, "I know a lot of others who've bought from here and would like a refund if they heard about this."_

_"I see," Roshune acknowledged. "Refund all of them, then."_

_The seller shook his head in disbelief. "The only one of my customers who ever complained was him. This'll put me out of business!"_

_"You should've thought about and been more careful when you baked your goods this time of year," Roshune told the man definitively before turning back to his family. "Come. We've wasted enough time here."_

_Still holding her mother's hand, Ratana looked back at the poor man in pity. "That's unfair, Dad! Why'd you have to do that?"_

_Roshune twisted his mouth and blew out something between a grunt and a sigh. "Whichever one of them was right is a matter of irrelevance. Our lives rely on a firm social structure. In Ba Sing Se, they have their walls to help preserve order, but although Munn is a large city, we have no walls like that here. We live among the underclass, so we must remind them about their place in society each and every day."_

_Noticing her daughter was no longer enjoying her treat, Rang Xue wrapped one arm around Ratana's shoulder shot her husband a look. "Must you lecture her on this now? She's just a child!"_

_"She'll be a Lady of Munn when she grows up," Roshune countered harshly. "The sooner she knows how it all works around here, the better."_

As Taigang and Zan Xun lifted two small boulders out of the ground in unison, Taigang felt his feet slipping apart, the ground beneath him having softened into a submerging hole. "What the-?" he uttered, bewildered, as his arms loosened and his boulder fell back to the ground.

"You got a problem with women fighting, Taigang?" Smirking, Ratana revealed herself as the one who shifted the earth beneath the one in similar helmet and uniform as her.

"Stay out of this, Ratana!" Taigang shot back at her, shifting his stance and bringing himself up out of the trap, his legs now dusty with uncouth earth.

With a rounded kick, Ratana sent the rock levitating in front of Zan Xun into his partner's chest. Taigang flew back and his body smashed into one of the crates of fruit and he fell back over the pier. A second later, the emergence of splashing water signaled his fate. The momentarily-distracted Zan Xun prepared himself to earthbend again, but his movements were in vain, as another rock - this time lifted by Ratana - collided with his chest and sent him the same way as Taigang.

"Hmmm." Ratana took a look at the spot where the two crates of fruit had been that became collateral damage in the confrontation, and then casually yanked a pouch of gold pieces from her sash and tossed it to the man from Kyoshi Island. "Sorry about that."

"Th-thank you, my good lady," the man told her, baffled that she had roughed up her comrades-in-arms for the sake of a foreign stranger.

"Call me Ratana," she told him. "And don't sweat it," she added, noticing his shocked expression. "It's what a person does, not where they come from, that defines them."


	6. The Dragon Chambers

Iroh held his arm out, a crackling half-foot tongue of flame illuminating his path as he walked through the dark tunnel that led to the outer edges of the volcanic rim surrounding the Fire Nation Capital. The Crown Prince had not come down this path in a long time, but he still knew the way as well as ever. It did not lead to a place he was particularly fond of, but neither was it somewhere he could avoid for all time. When he emerged from the pitch darkness of the cave, the beams of the moon shone upon his destination: an old building shaped like many of the temples in the Fire Nation Capital, save that it was constructed entirely out of stone.

Tonight, Iroh did not wear his usual general's uniform, or even the ceremonial robes of the Fire Nation Royal Family. The only accessories which he wore tonight that he wore often were his sandals, which some said he wore too often. The robe he was garbed in was plain in color - the bright, scarlet color of blood - and stretched all the way down to his feet. Inhaling a deep breath, the Crown Prince approached the dreaded, decaying building in front of him. Even he could not avoid it on a day like today - his anniversary.

Standing between the four identical dragon heads carved on the grand entrance, dressed in a robe identical to his own, was the now-retired former Commander of the Southern Raiders. "It is an honor to be in your presence this evening, mighty Dragon of the West," Han Shui greeted as he extended a bow to Iroh.

Although he felt a sense of hollowness and irony behind Han Shui's words, General Iroh remained cordial and echoed the gesture. "Honor felt and returned, mighty Dragon of Water."

"We should go in," stated Han Shui. "The others will be waiting."

Iroh nodded in pleasant agreement. "Let's open the door together, then."

Both taking a step back and tensing the muscles in their arms, he and Han Shui shoved their arms forward and curved all ten of their fingers stiffly, but loosely, each sending two powerful, unyielding streams of fire into the four open mouthes of the dragon heads. The dragon heads were stubborn and the mechanical movements were harder to trigger than similar ones in other shrines. They required a stronger, more consistent jet of fire to open, and Iroh and Han Shui each shot two of them. Although this move was simpler in appearance than other high-level techniques, it was quite difficult to keep up. It would take four ordinary firebenders on good days to open the door - or two masters. At last, the dragon heads lifted and the sides of the door parted. Then the two men entered the Dragon Chambers, a sanctuary and lounge forbidden to all but those enshrined in the highest pantheon of firebending mastery. Those who had conquered dragons.

"You do remember we're still on for tea in a couple days, right?" Han Shui recounted to Iroh as they went through the hallway at each other's side.

"Oh, don't you worry," Iroh replied with a hearty chortle. "It's not like me to forget tea-time." Though he couldn't help but think Han Shui had more than tea on his mind for that occasion.

Since the dawn of bending the elements, dragons were the ultimate firebenders. For countless generations, true firebending masters treated them with reverence and respect, but Fire Lord Sozin began a new tradition of hunting dragons for glory. If a firebender conquered one, their talents became legendary and they earned an honorary title with "Dragon" in it that was uniquely theirs. Iroh's title was the Dragon of the West. It was now twenty years ago to the day that Prince Iroh had won the glory for killing the last great dragon in existence. Iroh remembered the day he had set off for that journey well. The love of his life was still with him and Lu Ten had been very little. In the end, he came back a changed man, though he said few words about the hunt's result upon his return.

After his feat, Iroh was brought here for the first time. He had of course never come before, as only those who had conquered dragons were allowed. Since his youth, Iroh was always a sharing man, though he could not share this with everyone. His wife could never have set foot here, and neither could his son, or his brother, nephew or niece for that matter. He always found the ominous darkness of this particular building - save for only a few candles - disturbing, and the scent reminded him of rotten tea-leaves. It had grown more and more untidy, as no one had properly cleaned it in years. Most who came here thought themselves too high and important to bother.

Together, Iroh and Han Shui scaled the edges of gigantic room with a long table in the center - as long as the one in the Earth King's dining room. Gathered at the farther end was a small cluster of men ranging from Iroh's age to slightly older to much, much older, all wearing identical blood scarlet robes. A celebratory feast was in the corner, buffet-style. Naturally, it was self-service, as there was no one to wait on them. Decades prior, the long table was filled with an infinitely livelier bunch and there were lots of younger men among them. Now, their numbers thinned year-by-year and none would ever join their ranks again. Iroh wondered to himself what would become of the Dragon Chambers when the last of them died. It would not be soon, but it was only a matter of time now. Most likely, the site would be left to rot like the corpses of the great beasts they once hunted. Indeed, the whole atmosphere was already one of decomposition.

After gathering a plateful of stir-fried komodo rhino with a side of capsaicin-enhanced sea slugs wrapped in tomato carrots, the Dragon of the West took his seat near the head of the table between the Dragon of the North and the Dragon of the Fist. He was now well-acquainted with every face in the room.

Indeed, it was Iroh's father who spoke first, from the head of the table. "Fire Lord Sozin was the first among our nation to rise up and challenge the original source of firebending himself, to gain a level of mastery over firebending so great, that the bender was even greater than the flame itself. This newfound domination over our element gave us the power to wipe out the airbenders, who still clung to so-called 'harmony' with their element. From that day forward, we were not as benders of ages past had been, but something greater. Three generations after he ended the last of the airbenders, we are gathered here today in these Sacred Dragon Chambers, to mark the anniversary his grandson ended the last of the dragons."

Iroh, the Dragon of the West tensed up a little as a round of applause followed the aged Azulon's words. "I accept this great praise of yours, Dragon of Fire," the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation said aloud to the table, forcing a good mood upon himself. "Perhaps we should also use this occasion to reflect on what magnificent creatures the dragons were. They knew far more about firebending than we can even comprehend."

"It was you who beat the last dragon in the end," Azulon, the Dragon of Fire scoffed, turning to his plate and lifting his chopsticks with disinterest. "Whatever else it knew was not worth learning." This was no more or less than Iroh expected. Sometimes words needed to be said, whether they were wasted or not.

"Here, here for the great Dragon of the West!" Han Shui roared from the other side of Azulon, waving his fist above his head, before settling himself back down.

"The dragons might be gone, but their power is still legendary, and by extension, us, as the ones who finally beat them," one of Azulon's former War Ministers with the title Dragon of the South chimed in through a mouthful at the other end of the table. His voice was hoarse and his limbs old and frail. While those at the table had performed great feats, they had done so many years ago, and many were not what they used to be. The Fire Lord himself was an exception, as Azulon had held onto a portion of his firebending strength even in his ancient days. "They have not been extant for twenty years, but still some claim to see them in the night."

"Some peasant claimed to have seen one last month near the village of Nongkun," the Dragon of the Fist informed from across the table. This was not something which was unusual. Even twenty years later, one heard whispers of dragon sightings, but the rumors always turned out to be false.

"Indeed," Han Shui said with a sly, extended nod. "As you can see, everyone was invited today," he added across the table to Iroh. "Except for the Dragon of Pure Luck, of course."

The Fire Lord dropped his chopsticks with a soft clatter and angrily rotated spun head about at these words. "Do not mention that man in my presence!" he bellowed at the Dragon of Water. "His name is a disgrace to the title." Azulon's amber eyes blazed with fury as he glared at Han Shui, his chest heaving.

After taking his first bite of food, Iroh cleared his mouth once again. "I am planning another grand expedition soon, but it won't be for hunting dragons this time. This time, it will be the Earth Kingdom capital."

The voices around the table quieted as Fire Lord Azulon crossed hands in front of face, obscuring the long, hanging ends of his mustache. "I remember our last two great campaigns to take Ba Sing Se, once sixteen years ago and once thirty-four years ago. Both ended in disaster very fast. What will be different this time?"

"We weren't prepared for a long drawn out battle and the Earth Kingdom forces swiftly waited us out from behind their walls and then overwhelmed us when we had become exhausted," Iroh explained simply. "Now that we've learned from our past errors, we can secure a proper supply line and make certain we have the proper amount of men and resources before we set off."

"Bah!" Han Shui blurted out through a sloppy mouthful of food. "What use is going to all that trouble when it's not guaranteed victory anyway? In a few years Sozin's Comet will be upon us again and our fire power intensified! If there's any time to attack Ba Sing Se again, it'll be then."

"I agree," the man sitting to the left of Iroh - the Dragon of the North - said with a curt nod. His words, however, were met with scoffs from the others at the table. Unlike the rest, he had zero military experience, being a Fire Sage rather than a soldier. Despite his profession, he was not a spiritual man, having become more obsessed with raw firebending strength than anything else.

"Perhaps the Dragon of West is correct," spoke Genzor, the Dragon of Aether, who was also the only one there besides Iroh with a trace of spirituality in him. "It's exactly twenty years after Sozin, the Dragon of Air's spiritual presence left the world. This has to be the appropriate time to finish his work in spreading our glory throughout the world."

"All the same," Azulon glowered from the head of the table. "It would be a much swifter sweep if we waited for the comet."

"Waiting for the comet to go after Ba Sing Se would be dangerous," Iroh cautioned. "The people of the Earth Kingdom are rigid and if given the time to secure themselves, would find a way to hold out through the comet. The comet can help win the war quicker once Ba Sing Se is already under our control."

"Nonsense," Han Shui countered. "We dealt with the Water Tribe when I was in charge. I didn't need any comet to massacre the southern waterbenders. Don't you agree, Dragon of Fire?" It was in this setting only that the retired Commander of the Southern Raiders could speak to the Fire Lord in such a fashion. Here, one living legend to another, in the temple to their skill as the highest-level firebending masters, they could speak on almost equal terms. Almost.

Fire Lord Azulon narrowed his eyes and pressed his fingers together, pondering. "I agree...with the Dragon of the West," he stated. Han Shui crossed his arms and leaned back in scowling resignation as the Dragon of Fire addressed the heir to his throne. "Prince Iroh, as you conquered the last great dragon, you can now conquer the last great obstacle to victory in the Earth Kingdom. You must take the burden of raising the army and preparing for the invasion entirely on your own, but...you have my support."

Iroh smirked, his pursuit successful. "I wouldn't have it any other way." The Dragon of the West enjoyed himself considerably more the rest of the night.


	7. An Invitation to Dinner

Ratana was not happy, for this night off was not exactly so. Having been looking forward to a sporting game of earth soccer with the guys after their regular evening sparring drills, she was instead doomed to travel halfway across the southern Earth Kingdom in a large, cramped carriage. Although she was packed between a chubby, unshaven man on her left and a skinny, middle-aged woman on her right, the only sound she heard were the footsteps of the ostrich horses and the rolling of the wheels outside. The crowd inside this carriage included a peculiar wide-eyed fellow with a corncob sticking out from his mouth, and they were not a conversational bunch, so Ratana was alone with her thoughts. She was off to dine at a fine estate, and she was looking forward to it about as much as she might look forward to fighting the Fire Lord with both her hands bound.

As General Sung had informed Ratana, due to her decisive role in recapturing a Fire Nation colony in the Earth Kingdom, she had been sentenced to being the guest of honor of a wealthy nobleman and noblewoman for a formal dinner and luncheon the next day. Since the man was a committed financier of their war effort through buying bonds and funding tank production, he desired a few perks along the way, so Ratana, as one of those who made the headlines, could not be allowed to refuse such an invitation.

Although some, like her fellow Terra Team member Taigang, wouldn't believe so, Ratana took no joy in the glory and attention she received at a time like this. Her entitled hosts probably thought this would be something else they shared in common, but really it was another reason why they were as different as could be. This nobleman likely thought himself as much a contributor to halting the Fire Nation march of destruction into their country as Ratana was, even though neither he nor his wife had seen action in their lives. Perhaps there was a place for these people and they really were useful in some way, but she detested them regardless.

Despite her lack of enthusiasm about the destination, Ratana welcomed the fresh air, and she almost tripped stepping out from the carriage. One half of an hour prior to arrival, the gentleman to Ratana's left had released a scent foul from the bowel that had been frustrating her nostrils ever since. But the sense of relief did not last long as Ratana set her eyes on Gaoling and the servant that had been sent to meet her.

"You must be Ratana," the smooth-haired, smooth-mannered servant greeted while smiling and bowing. "It is an honor to be in your presence. Please, let me escort you."

Begrudgingly, Ratana followed the servant to a walled-in manor constructed like any other large private home in this region of the kingdom, with curved slats on the roof above the flatter walls. There was a flying boar crest above the entrance that signaled this was the residence of Lao and Poppy Beifong. Even before she had met them, the exterior of their house screamed out "privileged, prosperous and pompous."

It turned out to be five who sat at the table that evening: Ratana, her two hosts, an unusually-relaxed earthbending "master" by the name of Yu, and a grayish green-eyed girl of about four or five years. The child was Toph, Lao and Poppy's young daughter, and she was blind. Dinner consisted of dumplings stuffed with a rich filling Ratana could hardly stomach, stringy noodles, and a steaming bowl of hot soup.

"It is always a pleasure to welcome such a distinguished war hero under our roof," Lao voiced from the head of the table, looking in the direction of Ratana. "With so many reports of the Fire Nation gaining ground, the times when we take it back are great days indeed."

Ratana cringed as Lao uttered the word "we" as though he played some unseen part in it. "Thank you for your hospitality, Lao Beifong," she responded cordially, the coolness of her voice barely subtle enough not to be picked up on. "I am merely doing my duty. My comrades in the Earth Kingdom military are out there every day, giving it our best. We can only rely on each other." She dipped her head down slightly to taste a mouthful of soup, which nearly burned her mouth. "And the Northern Water Tribe," she added as a dull afterthought. "When they can spare the time."

"I see," Lao nodded his head, in superficial intrigue. "What about the Southern Water Tribe?"

"I hear they have nearly no waterbenders left," Poppy chimed in.

Ratana shook her head. "There are none left now. The final southern waterbender was slain last year - Chief Hakoda's wife. It was said that she was a courageous woman who met her end with dignity while defending her family." As she finished, Ratana smiled admiringly, wishing that she had the chance to meet the woman she spoke of.

"How brutal things are in less-developed cultures," Poppy said with a faint scoff. "Defending the hearth and defending the homeland are not roles that respectable women should involve themselves in." But as Poppy took another bit of noodles with her chopsticks, her eyes widened. "I don't mean you, Ratana! You're...umm...an exception."

"Thanks," Ratana said, peering side-to-side. "I guess."

"Careful," Lao warned cautiously as he gestured to Toph beside him. "We have a pair of sensitive ears here."

"The war hits a lot of people hard," Ratana responded. "Aren't you up to date on everything that goes on?"

"Well...yes," Lao answered shakily. "I keep my tabs on the outcomes of battles and the latest military-industrial developments. The more personal stories, though, can be quite...unsettling."

"Well, shall we move to the living room for dessert, then?" Poppy smiled as she made her suggestion, eager to keep things moving. At her words, everyone rose from their chairs and followed suit.

"That woman could not have been that much of a master of her art if she went down so easily," Master Yu said aside to Ratana as they made their way to the living room. "What belt was she at?"

"I don't know," Ratana told him, narrowing her eyes. She could tell that Master Yu was about as experienced as Lao and Poppy were. Her eyes lit up once again once she saw what was for dessert. "Sugar tarts, what a nice surprise," she told her hosts as she took her first bite. They were not the best she'd ever had, but still quite tasty. "What kind of seasoning did you use?"

"I really don't know," Lao retorted. "Our cook uses this and that, but it's no concern of ours, as long as it's up to standard. Come to think of it, I'm not sure this was a good choice for desert tonight. It looks too fattening. Years from now, when our Toph comes of age, she'll be presented to the younger men in high society, and we'll have to be sure she can fit into her dress for that occasion."

Fortunately there was at least one at the table Ratana kept on good terms with. "I'm an earthbender, too!" exclaimed Toph, the Beifongs' young daughter. "Could you show me some moves?" she asked eagerly..

"Toph, stop pestering our guest," Poppy scolded across the table, narrowing her eyes that her daughter could not visualize. "She's a very busy and very important woman."

"Yeah, I can show you," said Ratana, putting down her dessert and standing up.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Lao said uneasily. "It sounds too unsafe to try such advanced bending around a blind girl."

"Lao," Poppy said, putting out her hand. "Ratana is a master. I'm sure that she knows what she's doing."

"You have nothing to worry about, Mister Beifong," Ratana reassured him. "I'll keep a close eye on her."

"Fine," said Lao. "But don't stray beyond the courtyard."

Ratana held the little girl's hand and walked into the breezy night air with her as they emerged from the warm, candle-lit house. The lavish courtyard outside the Beifong mansion was just sizable enough for some practice earthbending.

"Looks like we both got away from that one," Toph said with a giggle.

"Heh, yeah," Ratana said, smirking. "How did you know? You can't see my face."

"You're calmer now," remarked Toph. "Can we go by the tree?"

"What tree?" said Ratana, now surprised. "Huh? How did you know that was there?"

"The shaking in the ground," Toph told her. "It's how I know where things are."

"You use seismic sense, then," said Ratana. In her years of training, she had learned of the skill. When she put her hand on the earth and listened closely, she could locate objects which were otherwise hidden to her, and she could also count on it to sense the movements of opponents. However, to be able to see without seeing, let alone read what people were thinking, was something else altogether. "You're something special, indeed."

"Thanks!" said a smiling Toph.

"Maybe not everyone understands you, but I feel that you have the makings of a great earthbender," Ratana stated to the little girl as she let go of her hand, realizing it was unnecessary.

"Excuse me," interrupted a burly man in a plated uniform and a conical Earth Kingdom hat from behind them. "Master Lao sent me for extra protection." His boldness faltered, though, as Ratana glared straight at him. A seasoned fighter and member of the elite Terra Team, she was obviously much more capable than he and no more protection would be added with his presence that was not already there. "Very well, it's probably not needed," the man said timidly as he turned about and reentered the mansion, feeling emasculated.

"Earth is a stubborn element," Ratana said as she turned back to Toph. "You have to be stubborn yourself - and ultimately part of it - to bend it." She proceeded to stomp the ground and erected two lengthy earth columns underneath each of their feet and launching them into the air. Toph laughed heartily as they soared through the air and Ratana moved her arms about once more and brought a slanted, downward-sloping wall out from the ground which both she and Toph landed on. She proceeded to shoot smaller stones out from the edges one at a time, and then Toph rotated her foot on the slide and sunk the wall behind them back into the ground.

Later on, Ratana curled her fingers and made thousands of tiny particles of soil rise up from beneath the grass and spiral into a small tornado around her body. A few seconds later, Toph mimicked the motion and created a dirt tornado of the same size. However short or long it really was that Ratana and Toph were in the courtyard together, as time always quickens when one is having fun, their time was over all too soon.

"Toph, it's time for bed!" Lao shouted over from the doorway in a turbulent, exasperated voice.

"It's okay," Ratana told Toph as she let her brown whirlwind fall back to its grassy floor. "We can earthbend more tomorrow morning."

"I'm sorry, but we actually have to cut your stay short." Lao pointed at Ratana, his voice shaking. "We have some important business to take care of, so you'll have to leave first thing. Now, if you'll follow me, we've had your room prepared."

Ratana nodded, getting the message. "It was really great to meet you, Toph," Ratana whispered aside to the girl as they went followed inside after Lao.

"Thanks," said Toph, looking downcast. "Will you come back sometime?"

"I'm not sure I'll be welcome here after today," Ratana told her. "With your natural gifts, though, I'm sure you will learn well someday. The way you use see and shape the world around yourself reminds me of the badgermoles, the original source of earthbending, and you have the heart and soul of a great earthbender already."

Ratana caught an early morning carriage back across the kingdom and before she knew it, she was at her base once again. There, she found her Terra Team partner standing by the doorway to their room. "You're back early," Tooru commented to her, somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, I guess I am," Ratana relayed to him with a light shrug.

"How was your time with the Beifongs?" Tooru asked with a flat mout.

"Meh," Ratana replied nonchalantly. "Lao and Poppy are a couple of typical upper-class stiffs. I like their daughter, though. The girl's got spirit. I just hope those parents of hers don't squeeze it out of her by the time she's older."

"I see," said Tooru, his mouth flat and still . "Well, you're back just in time, actually. All the Terra Team is to report up front at once."

"What for?" asked Ratana. She would have expected her partner to have made a witty comment or joke upon her return, but he appeared quite solemn.

"I'm not sure exactly," Tooru told her. "Whatever it is, it sounds pretty big."


	8. The Prince's Secret

The Dragon of the West sat on a comfortable pad placed on the floor of his private quarters of the palace with his red royal robes hanging down below his feet. An elaborate piece of armor lined his shoulder-blades, and a metal headpiece rested in his hair. Sadly, it was not the traditional crown prince's headpiece, as that one had vanished from the royal family's eyes many years prior. Indeed, the last to wear it had been his grandfather Sozin. Having already made a batch of tea, Iroh now merely awaited his expected guest.

A knocking sound rasping from the other side of his door signaled Han Shui's arrival. "Come in," General Iroh told his visitor jovially.

The man with graying hair and whiskers slid open the entryway and bowed to his host. "Greetings, Prince Iroh." Han Shui bore an unmistakable smirk on his face. After days of persistent reminders to Iroh about their scheduled private meeting, it appeared that the motive behind his eagerness was about to be revealed.

"Welcome," the middle-aged crown prince returned. "Please sit and have some tea." As he knelt down, Iroh lifted the kettle of steaming hot, leafy flavored beverage and poured Han Shui's tea before his own, as was customary. "It's jasmine, my favorite!"

"Thanks." Han Shui twisted his lips and curved one of his eyes as he took his first sip. "I taste a trace of ginseng in it..."

"Yes," Iroh confirmed. "This is my own personal blend, with some of the best flavors from elsewhere mixed in."

"I would've thought that taboo," stated Han Shui, narrowing his gaze.

Iroh shrugged this notion off as he finished pouring his own cup and put it up - still steaming - to his mouth. "All is fair in love and war," he said as he took his sip. "And tea," he added with a sly wink when he brought his cup back down again.

Han Shui echoed his shrug. "Well, I'll give it to you that it is an interesting combination of tastes. I never would've thought they went together before."

Of course, the crown prince knew very well that the chance-taking Dragon of Water was not here for tea. "So, how have you been of late, my good Han Shui?"

"I've been alright," he replied, putting down his cup and resting his elbows at his sides. "Been reminiscing on the good old days. I've been pondering coming out of retirement and going back to my old post in charge of the Southern Raiders."

"I see," Iroh acknowledged, a little more serious now, his smile fading. "That position is no longer open, as you well know. Yon Rha is leading them now."

"Well, he did good by finally annihilating the last of the southern waterbenders," Han Shui spoke, raising his voice and curling his right hand into a fist. "Which was something I worked decades towards. But, with all due respect to Yon Rha, I trained him. I _still_ have seniority."

"I do understand where you might be coming from," Iroh responded meagerly, his consistent tone of voice in contrast to Han Shui's outburst. "But with the waterbenders gone, why the sudden urge to go back now?"

With a deep breath, Han Shui calmed himself down, and spoke more at Iroh's level. "Recently, I've come to believe that I'm not doing enough in retirement. I still have my skills and my able-body. And your plan to finally take Ba Sing Se re-awoke a patriotic bone in my body. The time is ripe to help my country more again."

"Well-spoken," Iroh admitted. "Very poetic. Now, the real reason please?"

"You're sharp," Han Shui observed, smirking. "Always have been. I can see there's no need to be coy with you. Very well, my finances have become...troubled. My family legacy is in danger and I need to start working again. This was always what I did best, so it seems an appropriate way to earn more money now."

"This has something to do with your gambling obsession, doesn't it?"

"Us old soldiers all have our hobbies, like you have your tea. We need them to occupy our minds. But yes, I have gotten into a recent slump that I need to dig my way out of."

"Your hobby has the potential to be more expensive," General Iroh told him sternly. "I would remind you that you received a generous pension when you left the Southern Raiders, but I suspect that you've been betting with your pension as well. Unfortunately, it would be unfair to usurp Yon Rha just because you have a little debt that you need to pay off. Also troubling is the way you've gone about it. A request like this should technically be made to the Fire Lord himself, but instead you came to me specifically, in this private setting. Presumably, you're offering to do something as well?"

"Close," said Han Shui, a wide, malicious grin spreading across his face. "I'm offering to not do something."

"Ah, so bribery is not the game of the day," General Iroh chuckled with intrigue. "It's ransom! Let's drop the veil of suspense and get everything on the table." "Capital idea!" Han Shui agreed enthusiastically. "It began when I noticed how out-of-place you acted when amongst the others who had won the dragon title. You were always much more inclined to speak of the magnificence of dragons than the glory of dragon-hunters."

"They are the original source of our bending," Iroh enunciated. "Even for a tree that has grown to ten thousand feet, its leaves must eventually return to the roots when they fall from the branch. So, even for our nation of ten thousand years, we can never neglect our own roots, either."

"Yes, that's exactly the kind of talk I'm talking about," Han Shui indicated, pointing straight into Iroh's eyes. "I've had an arousing doubt about you for over a decade. Now, everything has come to light with the rumors of dragon sighting from the village of Nongkun."

"One hears of sightings all the time, but none have been anything more than rumor," Iroh said with a dismissive wave of his arm.

"This incident was different," asserted Han Shui, his amber eyes pulsating, as though on fire. "I did some checking up on it, and the description of the dragon they_supposedly_ saw matched the very same description for the dragon you _supposedly_ killed."

"Are you saying my dragon is still out there?" Iroh inquired, remaining calm and still clutching his tea cup.

"There's no mistake about it!" Han Shui exclaimed, arching his back and seemingly growing in size. "My suspicions have confirmed," he added, satisfied. "Everyone has always looked up to you. They worship not only the ground you walk on, but the bed you sleep on and even the tea you drink, as eccentric as it may be. Imagine if the truth about your past was uncovered now. You, a proven leader in battle, conqueror of the last dragon, soon-to-be conqueror of Ba Sing Se; you who will one day be Fire Lord, would suddenly be shamed, disgraced and disinherited." Han Shui shook both hands and swirled his cup in the air as he said this. "And that's an optimistic prediction. But, if you do as I've requested and ensure my reappointment to my old post, I'll keep your secret to myself."

Several long seconds passed between the end of Han Shui's brief speech and when Iroh spoke again. "I see now why you've been so keen on this meeting. It was all very thoroughly thought out. What a shame it is, but I will have to decline your proposal."

The triumphant smile spread across Han Shui's face withered away and vanished. "This is not a joke, Iroh! I'll expose you!"

"I'm not worried about that," the Dragon of the West snorted jovially.

"Think of Lu Ten, and what this might mean for him," Han Shui protested. "As your son, he could be cast out as well."

"I know very well what this would mean."

The face of Han Shui turned red with intensity and anger. "Then your secret will be secret no longer! I will tell the Dragon of Fire that all the times you have sat with the dragon-killers you have had no place among us!"

Iroh was still undaunted. "No place among _us_, you say? Don't you mean no place among _them_?"

The anger on Han Shui's face melted away and his skin turned pale. "Wh-what? I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"My dear Han Shui," said Iroh, laughing heartily. "I thought we had agreed not to be coy. When I went searching for my dragon, I found not one, but _two_, still living. One, of course, was mine," Iroh continued. "The other was yours. For all these years, you've had a secret of your own, and this must've helped give you the idea to pull something on me. Don't try to deny it."

Breathing heavily and clutching his chest, it was a few moments before Han Shui regained himself. "The year before you made your journey, I finally got to go on my dragon hunt. I had desired it for years, and they were very scarce by then. I made my expedition into the mountains to where the dragon allegedly lurked and awakened it to my challenge. My years of training paid off as I gained the upper hand and struck a deadly blow. The beast faltered and I proclaimed my success to one of the captains of my legion. From that moment on, I was a living legend. As I hiked down the mountain, though, I heard an unmistakable roar from the other side of the peak. I told myself that it had to be a call of suffering in the dragon's last moments, but if you saw it a year later and I had not finished the job, it was an honest mistake."

"What about now?" Iroh questioned, raising his eyebrow slyly. "After you neglected to go correct your story and have been called the Dragon of Water for twenty-one years. Would my father, Fire Lord Azulon, still consider it an 'honest mistake?' Oh, Han Shui, not even the luck of the Dragon of Pure Luck can help you now."

"Don't compare me to him!" snapped Han Shui. "That is low..."

Iroh shook his head at this newer outburst. "That man would fare better than you or I if the Fire Lord and everyone else knew the whole truth, because regardless of the circumstances, there's no doubt that he actually did kill a dragon, something neither of us ever did."

The blazing anger on Han Shui's face devolved to a simpler scowl of contempt. "Suppose they found your dragon and they didn't find mine?" Han Shui uttered, his limbs stiffening.

"I don't think that's a possibility," Iroh responded. "If they find one, they'll find the other."

"What makes you so much better and so much nobler?" Han Shui asked with a tone of resentment. "You're just as much a liar as I am."

"I don't think you can ever truly say one person is 'better' than another," stated Iroh. "People are so complex, and one can only read others at the surface presented to them. There is a difference, though, in how we missed our objectives. I chose not to pursue it, but you failed to fulfill it."

"I doubt that distinction would make a difference to the Fire Lord."

"No," Iroh said admittedly. "But you're not going to tell him now, are you?"

Han Shui let his head hang in resignation. "No. That's it, then. I'm ruined."

General Iroh surveyed the man sitting before him: defeated, broken and pathetic. Although Han Shui was certainly not his favorite person, this was not a sight that the Dragon of the West enjoyed looking upon for long. "Cheer up, my good sir. You may not leave here with what you want, but you won't leave with nothing," Iroh told him, much more kindly than almost any other person who treat one who came to their residence for the express purpose of blackmailing them. "Maybe you won't lead the Southern Raiders again, but I have some positions open under my command for the planned attack on Ba Sing Se. Such an extensive campaign will require a handful of under-generals to coordinate."

Han Shui crossed his arms and persed his mouth bitterly. "That's really not what I had in mind...but I'll have to accept such a post."

"You won't be disappointed," Iroh reassured his now-comrade-in-arms. "The points of the invasion are coming together before we've even left Fire Nation soil!" With that, the Crown Prince of the Fire Nation downed the remnants of his beverage in one gulp. "Well, that was some interesting conversation for our first cup of jasmine-ginseng tea, shall I pour us a second cup?"


	9. Raid on Gujuhmin: Part 1

The members of the Terra Team lined the walls of the briefing room at forefront of their cave base when their commanding officer informed them of the designated assignment ahead of them. "We have a dangerous, but decisive mission ahead of us, men," Quan Jing addressed his troops in a commanding tone. "And woman," he added upon noticing Ratana raising an eyebrow at him from the back row with her arms crossed and her hips resting on the earthen wall behind her. "The task ahead of us is to reclaim the long lost city of Gujuhmin from the Fire Nation." At these words, whispers and mumbles filled the room and were accompanied by a tide of heads turning to one another. Gujuhmin was one of the oldest and largest colonies held by the Fire Nation. Having been taken twenty years after Sozin's Comet, it was by no means the oldest of all, but scarcely anyone alive remembered it as part of the Earth Kingdom.

The whispers stopped as Colonel Quan Jing cleared his throat and quieted the room down again. "Gujuhmin was a great trading town before the war began, and it was well known for the giant badgermole tunnels that lay beneath. In the old days, earthbenders from all corners of the nation used to take pilgrimages there and meditate." Ratana cringed at these words as she thought of such a beacon for earthbenders under the thumb of the Fire Nation.

"Thus far in the war, the Fire Nation has always taken land faster than we can take it back on a good day," Quan Jing continued. "But with our recent victory, it's high time seize the opportunity while we have the tide on our side and take back Gujuhmin!" Colonel Quan Jing articulated himself well, and always appeared fit for his role.

Quan Jing had showed early signs of unique potential in his childhood. His approach to bending was as mental as it was physical. As he lacked the gifts of some to be able to sense an opponent's every move through vibrations, he relied on his quick-thinking and fast reaction time to anticipate and respond to what was coming. Through his eyes, bending duels were like strategic games of Pai Sho, with an analytical approach to how to move the pieces. A calculator on the battlefield, he excelled and became the pride of his village.

His family was well-regarded in the area, but not especially rich. After his father and older brother perished fighting Fire Nation army, Quan Jing went on to command the same local militia his father had. Due to the circumstances in which he attained the position, he had to work hard to justify it in the eyes of others once he had it, and there were a few missteps along the way. A couple years after he took over, there was a corruption scandal in his unit and three of his men were convicted of embezzlement of Earth Kingdom public funds. Naturally, Quan Jing was not found to have been involved, but merely in the wrong place at the wrong time. The colonel had a way with words similar to how he had a way with other forms of strategy. With a dedicated practice of strict discipline and tactical leadership, he was very proud of how far he had come in his life. Quan Jing now oversaw several battalions. Nowadays, many thought him more capable than General Sung whom he served under, though some would counter that that wasn't saying much.

Since the Terra Team was the most elite of the groups under Quan Jing's leadership - his own pride and joy - he gave them the most extensive briefing of the situation before their expedition. "The colony is fortified and heavily-guarded at all hours of the day, with archers lining the top walls," he continued. "Breaking past the city's defenses will not be an easy task. That's precisely why the Terra Team will be leading the charge. You will all ride to Gujuhmin in two long tanks, and you'll be approaching from the opposite side your partner is on. It's crucial that you neutralize the archers and other hostile defenses before the regular army earthbenders and warriors are ready to storm in with their own brigades, because after we've penetrated the perimeter, there will still be the soldiers inside the colony itself to deal with; and the Fire Nation garrison stationed at Gujuhmin is formidable. Once inside, you must be careful that the subjugated Earth Kingdom civilians living in Gujuhmin are not harmed in the process of taking it. Remember that these are our own countrymen under rule of the enemy. Sung ordered us to take this colony back at all costs. Either we accomplish this, or we all fall down trying," he concluded, waving his clenched fist in the air. "Move out!"

The ride to Gujuhmin in the interior of the metallic-plated Earth Kingdom military tank was stiff and bumpy. Half of the Terra Team were sitting on the sides of this vehicle, and all of their corresponding partners were in another one right behind it. Ratana had found herself next to Taigang, and at a time like this she much preferred it be Tooru there. Indeed, the whole mood was tense, as waiting for a battle like this could be much harder than the fight itself.

Looking around, Ratana noticed that the face across from hers, unlike the rest of those around her, was not hardened, nor was it that of someone ready for combat. "Is something on your mind, Shun Ping?" she asked her comrade, who was staring off to the side, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Nearly startled by her breaking of the silence, Ratana's thin, astute comrade looked up at her. "Oh, nothing, Ratana," Shun Ping said as he fondled a small object in his hand. "I just had a couple things I was hoping to take care of before we left that I didn't get around to."

"Like what?" Ratana inquired, curiously raising both her eyebrows. In a way, she envied him for being able to concentrate on something else, though when the time came, she couldn't allow him to lose his concentration on the battlefield.

"Nothing really," he added, breaking eye contact. "Don't worry about it."

"What's that you're holding?" Ratana asked, pointing to the small object in Shun Ping's possession. Her outstretched hand was met by his as he reached over and dropped a string of wooden beads into her palm. "Where'd you get this, Shun Ping? And what's 'Seda' mean?"

"I didn't buy it," Shun Ping told her meagerly, elbows resting on his kneecaps. "I made it."

"Is Seda your girlfriend?"

"Fiance," he clarified. "Even though we're already engaged, I was going to give her a betrothal necklace as her present. She's from the Earth Kingdom, but one of her grandparents was from the Water Tribes." Shun Ping added the last part in a hush, with his fingers curved over his mouth. There were some who did not accept mixed bloodlines between the four nations.

Those some did not include Ratana. "I think that's sweet," she told him with a smile, reaching over to hand the brown likeness of a Water Tribe betrothal necklace back to him. Shun Ping, however, held up his hand, indicating for her to hold onto it longer.

Finally, the metal tank came to a halt and the soldiers that counted themselves as part of the Terra Team rose to their feet and took fighting stances. Standing at the forefront near the operator's seat, Colonel Quan Jing signaled for them to take their positions in line. Ratana was right by the cutoff point, so she ended up being last and Taigang first.

Now standing, Shun Ping glanced back over to Ratana. "Listen, Seda was going to come see me soon. That's when I was going to give her the necklace. If I don't make it back today, tell her-"

"Shun Ping, don't talk like that!" Ratana snapped in the heat of the moment. She did not like to be so sharp in cutting off her comrade, but she knew that he needed to get his focus back, and there was now no more time to delay. As the metal doors slid apart and the blinding light of the sun shone inside the previously-darkened tank interior, Ratana thought again of what lay before them. For close to three quarters of a century the seven Fire Nation flag had flown over this place. She could only imagine how the repressive rulers had subjugated her people in that time.

"Ready...attack!" yelled Quan Jing. At his command, Taigang and two earthbenders near the front of the tank and charged towards the gates of Gujuhmin. From the opposite side of the gate, Zan Xun and the other earthbenders' partners approached and the six of them shook their arms in unison and pushed upward. Six enormous, diagonal spires of earth shot up from the ground and pierced the walls of the colony at the lower point.

After Quan Jing raised his arms once again, three more earthbenders left the tank and three more from the opposite side came to join them. Ratana tensed her fingers in anticipation; she and the rest of those inside were waiting to see which position they were to go to. She smirked to herself as she thought of Tooru in the same position as her now.

The Fire Nation archers atop the wall had become aware of their presence and fired down upon the Earth Kingdom battalion. Following the echoing sound of bows being pulled back came a harsh, brown shower of pointed arrows. Half a dozen more members of the Terra Team - Shun Ping among them - were in place by this point, and they twisted their ankles and shifted their feet in a similar motion, bringing identical, slanted slabs of earth from the ground to shield them from above. Meanwhile, Taigang and those at the front had erected more spikes on top of one another to create an earthen ramp on which they could run up and storm the city from above, and the benders and warriors from the regular army were marching forward. As for Ratana, she had not left the tank yet, being in the back line of the Terra Team, but she could see that it was all going well for them.

That was when everything began to fall apart.


	10. Raid on Gujuhmin: Part 2

By the time that the Terra Team members at the front line of the Gujuhmin Raid had finished constructing the ramps that led from the ground all the way to the top of the mighty walls of the Fire Nation colony, the regular army earthbenders and warriors had caught up and had begun their climb. Earth Kingdom warriors and benders engaged the soldiers and archers of the Fire Nation as they reached the top, shielding themselves from the continuing onslaught of arrows being shot at them. The background roared with the clang of swords and the hurling of bent chunks of earth and jets of flame. At last, it seemed that the archers were running low on arrows and that the soldiers of the Earth Kingdom were finally gaining the upper hand. The previously-unbelievable goal of retaking the Gujuhmin seemed not only possible, but also probable.

Then, the giant leaf-colored doors to the city opened with the sound of cranking knobs and axels. What was on the other side of the walls with the fiery emblem of Azulon emblazoned across them would ruin the Earth Kingdom army's supposed turning point in the battle. A sturdy legion of crimson-armored spearmen and skull-masked firebenders marched out, ready to overwhelm those unfortunate souls before them. Flanking the vast army were dreaded black-and-red machines of war known as tundra tanks.

From a tank at the rear of the field, almost hidden away, the colonel beheld his glorious day melting away before his eyes. He had seen it in his head many times over in the days prior to the invasion, but now it appeared that had been a dream that was not going to reach fulfillment. "They must've had a good lookout," Colonel Quan Jing said aloud to himself. "We didn't have the element of surprise we predicted."

The final few Terra Team earthbenders in his tank had left one at a time and were now erecting rocky battlements between their troops and those of the Fire Nation, but it was all for naught. A new wave of arrows came forth, this time with pieces of fire glazing the tips. Several well-aimed points hit the battlements with precision and set them ablaze, forcing the benders and warriors nearby into panic and retreat. Only one of the Terra Team was still in the tank with him. The final one in line was also the lone female of the group. "Got to do something," Ratana stated, determined. Though her long hair was brushing back across her face, her eyes would not move from the sight of the battle. "I'm ready to go, Sir!"

"Wake up, Ratana," Quan Jing scoffed, crossing his arms over his elaborate armor. "This time, we're outmatched. The best we can do is live to fight again on a better day. I'm calling the attack off."

"Then I have to go in," Ratana protested to him. "Many of our men are out there in the heat of the battle and they have to have cover to get out of this alive!"

Quan Jing, however, shook his head with authoritative firmness. "No. If we linger here any longer, none of us will evade capture or casualty. The men at the front line have done their duty well, but they are expendable."

"Colonel, you can't be serious!"

"I am, Ratana," he told her sternly, his eyes now wondering to the gates of Gujuhmin and scanning the field of war. With so many Fire Nation troops ready and waiting for them, it was uncertain if anyone could get away. The colonel bent his knees and sprung into action. He stepped one foot directly out of the tank and pointed his toes forth. Noticing one of the pillars of the earthen ramps had a lopsided point, Quan Jing sent a rocky line of earth as straight as an arrow across the plain. When the column-like trench reached that spot on the wall, the tall spike of earth that had taken several members of the Terra Team many stances to lift slid over and tumbled into the similar spike beside it. All the earthen ramps collapsed and took a giant section of the wall of Gujuhmin down with it. The hard chunks and shards of stone crashed to the ground on top of many soldiers. These inanimate objects held no allegiance, and were unkind to Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom alike.

Open-mouthed, Ratana stared in disbelief at what her commanding officer had done. The sight of the crumbled wall that had squished the bodies of many men in her unit pierced her eyes and sent a dagger to her soul.

"Move out!" Quan Jing yelled at the top of his lungs before stepping both feet back into the tank. Catching eye of another green-uniformed figure leaping through the doors as they were closing, he called after her. "Ratana, come back! That's an order!"

Paying no attention to her commanding officer or the other tanks behind her that were shutting their doors and departing the scene, Ratana sprinted forth in earthbending strides, large chunks of dirty rock pushing forth with every fresh step she took. Even though she was a rational person, some decisions had to be made without regard to their rationality. When she came upon the flank of Fire Nation soldiers nearest to the gate that had been fortunate enough not to be crushed by the falling rocks, she pounded her right foot on the battlefield's dusty floor and levitated a misshapen boulder into the air, which she jabbed with her hand and sent it at her nearest foe.

Suddenly, she felt another body at her backside garbed in a similar tunic and round hat that rubbed against her own. "What took you so long?" Tooru asked from behind. He was standing back-to-back with her, literally.

"I'll explain later," Ratana said to him as she bent more hastily-formed rocks out of the ground. In the heat of the battle with so many troops around her, she did not even have that extra split-second to plan her next attack, so she kept repeating the same one. Stomp. Punch. Stomp. Punch. Stomp. Punch.

"Fine," Tooru replied, annoyed, as he spread his long legs apart and lifted a large slab of earth from the ground, which hit the spearmen right in front of him in the face, knocking him over. "Why did the wall fall down?"

"I'll explain that later, too."

"I see." Tooru sharpened his thicker eyebrows, frustrated. "How are we going to get out of this, exactly? We can't keep this up all day, and the tanks were all leaving just as I rushed over to join you."

Ratana crossed both arms and then pushed them apart, pushing a curved arc of rock out from the earth and neutralizing her opponents for just enough time to string a quick thought and sentence together. "Let's get close to the other troops from our side so we'll have strength in numbers at least."

"So you're making this up as you go along," Tooru said with a roll of his eyes. "I was afraid of that." With two sharp cracking sounds, a pair of earth columns sprung up from beneath his and Ratana's feet, respectively, and launching them both twenty feet in the air, like human projectiles. They flew through the hole in the Gujuhmin wall Quan Jing had made and touched down in the middle of a narrow street. Looking about, they found they were in a residential area of town, getting probably the best glimpse of Gujuhmin they would get.

Fortunately, there were many of their own troops nearby. "To arms!" Ratana shouted out as she lifted one foot onto the rim of a fountain. "Let's show these fiery tyrants just what kind of substance the Earth Kingdom army is made out of!"

The abandoned, leaderless forces flocked over to the spot where Ratana had called out her rallying cry. Among them were a handful of members of the Terra Team, but the regular army forces had been decimated. Nevertheless, the battered warriors and benders of Sung's brigades had a new spirit rekindled within them.

"Let's set up an earth trench," Ratana directed to her fellow members of the elite team by her side. "It'll make it easier for our forces to stick together and fight as one."

"Got it," Tooru told her attentively. Throwing his arms up, he jumped two feet up and when he landed back to the ground, a long, rectangular hole sank into the street. "Come on, Taigang!" he yelled at the earthbender on his opposite side. "You heard Ratana."

"Hmph!" Taigang snorted begrudgingly. Despite this reaction, he followed Tooru's similar motions and made a hole of his own.

Their female companion was now staring around, as though missing something. "Where's Shun Ping?"

"Shun Ping was with us not too long ago," informed Taigang. "He got hit hard by the falling rocks."

"What!" blurted Ratana, her bloodshot eyes widening. "Why didn't you help him over?"

"It was regrettable," Taigang told her admittedly as he stomped another hole of earth into the ground. "But there was a lot else going on at the time."

Without another word, Ratana leapt over the trench and gave a rounded kick to the side, bringing a mound of rock up which collided with the faces of the Fire Nation soldiers in her way.

"Is she going back to look for him?" Tooru wondered aloud, concerned.

"Yep," Taigang stated, flat and lacking any strong emotion. "She's an idiot."

For the second time that afternoon, she forsook herself in making a seemingly-irrational decision which had to be made anyway. Nevertheless, a few more days like this and she would no longer in good faith be able to call herself rational.


End file.
